Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Roads And Infrastructure topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Road & Bridge reports culvert work, mag chloride paving and water-truck fixes; commissioners discuss July 4 road closures
Summary
Road and Bridge staff reported on recent culvert replacements, 2.2 miles of mag chloride application costing about $18,000, water-truck pump failures and proposed draft-station and hydrant projects. Commissioners discussed complaint that the sheriff and town closed county roads during July 4 without board authorization.
Rusty (staff member) delivered the Road & Bridge update to San Juan County commissioners, reporting recent work on culvert replacement, surface treatment and water-truck problems and proposing longer-term water-sourcing options for wildfire and firefighting response.
Major maintenance and surfacing: Road & Bridge completed replacement of a deteriorated 5-foot culvert on County Road 2 (Amherst Forks area) and installed a retaining wall and pedestrian bypass at a gate on Lower River Road. The department applied mag chloride to 2.2 miles of road at a recorded direct cost of $18,000. Rusty said the remaining unmagged length on that route is about 3.8 miles and that federal grant funding being pursued could cover future work.
Water-truck and drafting changes: A pump failure left the county with a water truck operating at reduced capacity before mag chloride work. Staff borrowed a water truck from a private contractor to complete the work and described plans to buy a spare pump to reduce future downtime. To reduce sand ingestion during drafting, Road & Bridge said it is sinking weighted plastic barrels in draft locations and installing screened foot valves to keep suction away from river bottoms. Rusty described a possible future project to install a fixed hydrant or piped fill station near Eureka and the campground so the county and local fire department would have a closer water source for structure or wildland fires.
Safety and asset improvements: Staff discussed using an excavator for rockwork and stream drafting improvements; the excavator enables single-operator culvert installs and rock-wall construction in narrow locations without extensive dozer work. Rusty also described plans for a memorial at the top of Cinnamon that requires a Bureau of Land Management archaeological review before work can proceed.
Rock-removal options and narrow road fixes: For a narrow, failing cliff section of Little Giant Road, Road & Bridge proposed testing a nonexplosive expanding-grout product (SwellX) and using jackleg drills or rented equipment to fracture and remove rock. Rusty said the county could test a small application this fall and, if successful, buy materials by the pallet and address several constrained roadside spots gradually rather than using explosives or heavier excavator-mounted breakers.
Road closures and authority: Commissioners discussed complaints that the sheriff's office and the town placed temporary barricades and closed some county roads over the July 4 weekend without following board procedures. A commissioner cited county code section 424106 (cited in the meeting) allowing temporary road closures for special events but said closures should follow county processes and property owners must not be prevented from accessing private land. Commissioners asked staff to coordinate a follow-up discussion with the sheriff and the town to outline agreed procedures for event-related closures and for signage such as "narrow road," "no trailers" or "residents only" at problematic locations.
Next steps: Road & Bridge plans to continue draft-station tests, pursue a spare pump for the water truck, pilot the SwellX drilling approach on one cliff section this fall, and follow up with town and sheriff representatives on a formal road-closure process and signage for narrow or nonturnaround road segments.
